palate

Of the palate is the upper wall within the oral cavity. It is the counterpart to the tongue. As a result, he plays an important role in eating and speaking.

What is the palate?

Of the palate is a largely immovable and to a small extent movable plate that separates the nasal and oral cavities. In addition to various muscles, it also includes the soft palate and the uvula.

This part of the body plays an important role in speaking, eating and drinking. With its help, sounds are formed that refer to the place of origin by their name. If it is a palatal sound, it arises on the hard palate. “Velar” indicates the soft palate and the addition “uvular” indicates the uvula.

In music lessons, the function of the palate for speech can be explored in detail, because voice formation also takes place in the mouth. Paying special attention to how speaking and singing work will help you speak more clearly. This also develops a sensitivity and awareness of one's own voice and language.

Anatomy & structure

The palate separates the oral and nasal cavities. It consists of two parts.

The first part is formed from four bone plates and is called the hard palate (Palatum durum) designated. As an anterior front, it arises from the two plates of the upper jaw and the two palatal bones. They are connected to one another by seams, the central seam of which is still visible in adulthood. It is used as a palatal suture (Raphe palati) referred to.

So-called palatal tiers are cross connections between the individual parts. They are palpable. The oral mucosa covers this framework. This has many glands and contains a large plexus of veins, which ensures good blood circulation. On the teeth, the oral mucosa merges into the gums.

The hard palate extends far into the oral cavity up to the wisdom teeth and then merges into the second, soft palate. This includes the soft palate (velum palatinum) and the uvula, which is located between the two cusps. This part is formed by a connective tissue plate and is movable. It borders the throat and partially closes it off to the nasal cavity.

Function & tasks

The palate fulfills its function in addition to separating the oral and nasal cavities when eating, drinking and speaking. When eating, the hard part serves as a counterpart to the jaw and teeth and thus helps to chop up the food. The hard palate makes it possible to make certain sounds when speaking by working together with the tongue and lips.

The soft part separates the mouth from the nose and throat. It fulfills an important function when swallowing. In this case, the soft palate ensures that the food gets into the esophagus, because when swallowing it is pulled upwards and thus blocks the way to the windpipe and nasal cavity.

To speak means to use the teeth, tongue, roof of the mouth and lips to shape the airflow from the lungs through the throat into the oral cavity. The soft palate is also important when speaking because it regulates the flow of air out of the lungs. If it is raised, then the sound formation is possible. It only lowers when there is nasal noises, thus ensuring an oral seal. The nasal cavity is open in this case. It becomes a resonance space in which voiced nasals such as the "m" or the "n" can be formed.

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Illnesses & ailments

The cleft lip and palate is the most common malformation that occurs in humans. Even in the embryonic stage of pregnancy, this area of ​​the mouth does not develop properly, which leads to problems with eating and speaking.

Preventive measures can already be taken when the desire to have a child arises. By taking folic acid and giving up smoking and drinking alcohol, the risk of such a malformation is reduced. The timely vaccination against rubella also prevents you from developing this disease during pregnancy and thus endangering the unborn child.

The cleft lip and palate has different shapes. A slight form is the cleft lip, which can be easily repaired surgically and which trains the corresponding sounds through a subsequent speech therapy. In the case of more severe forms, an operation must be carried out immediately after the birth, otherwise the child cannot be fed and dies.

An inflammation of the lining of the mouth (stomatitis) can spread to the palate if it is not treated. It is mostly painful, but harmless. It accompanies a sore throat or inflammation of the gums.

Even if the denture does not sit properly, it can cause inflammation on the roof of the mouth by irritating the oral mucosa. It helps to maintain oral hygiene and take calming herbal medications. If the dental prosthesis is the trigger, a visit to the dentist will help.

Oral cancer also affects the roof of the mouth. Risk factors are alcohol, smoking, poor oral hygiene, poor diet (especially the lack of vitamins and trace elements) and toxins. It occurs more and more from the age of 50 and primarily affects men. Oral cancer initially manifests itself as pain in the mouth area, speech problems and bad breath. It can be treated with chemotherapy, especially if it occurs in the hard palate area.